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SILVER TRAILS

Mark Twain's Home Jul 5, 2011

Hope you all had a wonderful Fourth of July. The RV Park had fireworks on Saturday night which we enjoyed. The rest of the weekend we just took it easy and let the vacationers and weekenders enjoy themselves. I think the only thing we actually did was go to the "Frosty Treat" for an ice cream cone. Yum it was so good. Last Tuesday we headed out to Hartford, the capital of Connecticut to visit the Mark Twain House. Twain and his family lived in Hartford from 1874 to 1891. The house is Victorian Gothic. While living here Twain wrote "The Adventures of Tom Sawyer" and "Adventures of Huckleberry Finn". In 1881, Mark Twain hired Louis Comfort Tiffany and his to partners to decorate the interior. Details include elaborate stencils and woodwork. We arrived 45 minutes before our tour. We spent this time enjoying an exhibit about Twain's life. There was an area where you could listen to readings from some of his books. On display in another exhibit area was a special showing of Norman Rockwell's Art. He was an illustrator of Mark Twain and Huckleberry Finn. We enjoyed both exhibits very much. They also show part of the Ken Burns show produced for PBS on Mark Twain's life. Since we had seen this show we skipped the movie. It was time to join our guided tour of the home. While we enjoyed our tour and enjoyed seeing the home, I must say our tour guide was awful. I am sure at one time he did an excellent job but he has lost his edge. I have provided pictures of the exterior of the home. Photographs were not allowed of the interior. The tour covered 3 floors of the home. When you enter the reception hall.....it is very dark and dreary, as is the rest of the house. The woodwork is all very dark stain and the stenciling on the walls is also very dark. Of course, in the 1870's the lighting was furnished via candlelight. Even the library was dark....several us commented on how in the world did they see to read. One exception to this dark interior was the living room to the right of the reception hall. It was light and airy....done in shades of pinks. Very refreshing. Upstairs, on the second floor, the bedrooms were practical. The Twain's bedroom had their bed which was imported form Europe. It was ornately carved....Twain liked the headboard so much they slept with their heads at the foot board so the last thing before going to sleep and the first thing he saw when waking was the headboard! The second bedroom was for his wife's Mother. The children's bedroom and schoolroom were also on this floor. They were nice and airy. On the 3rd floor is the billiards room where Twain did his writing at a corner desk. If you ever in Hartford be sure to visit this landmark. After our visit we had lunch at Olive Garden and then I found Trader Joes and stocked up on our favorites. On our way back to the campground we made another stop. It was very interesting. Stay tuned.

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